I'm a Brit living in America

Release time：2024-05-21 12:09:45 Source：Culture Compass news portal

A British woman who moved to the US has revealed all of the ways living in America has changed her.

Millie Hart, 31, moved from the West Midlands to Ohio with her husband Mark and their children more than two years ago.

Posting under her TikTok handle @milliehart01, the mother regularly shares videos about being a Brit in the US, including the differences between the houses, the food, and even American phrases she now prefers.

She has amassed more than 1.2 million followers, who watch along as she navigates life in a different country to the one she grew up in.

This week, she posted a video reflecting on how the USA has changed her so far, after a few years of settling in - and it has already been seen by more than 180,000 people. 

UK expat Millie Hart, 31, moved from the West Midlands to sunny Ohio with her husband Mark and their children more than two years ago

Can't live without aircon 

Millie admits that now after getting used to having aircon, she can't go without the cool air and struggles when she visits home. 

She told viewers: 'I could not live without aircon. I went back to England last year and literally, my dad called me the "aircon girl".

'I cried and I moaned the whole time because it was too hot and there was no aircon and I couldn't breathe.

'I never realised how much Brits need aircon until I went back over there, like why haven't we got it? Why are we suffering like this?'

Driving further is not a big deal 

Secondly, where previously the West Midlands native may have considered driving to another UK city a long trip, her time in America has led her to be more accustomed to travelling further. 

Millie explained: 'Driving four hours is really not that big of a deal. Until I moved here, driving literally 30 minutes down the road in Britain was like I was going out for the day.

This week, she posted a video reflecting on how the USA has changed her so far, after a few years of settling in - and it has already been seen by more than 180,000 people

'I don't know if that's because there's more traffic and it takes longer to get places than it does here, but honestly, long drives for me have become more normal.

'I'm accustomed to it. I drive forty minutes to Keagan's school and forty minutes back twice a day - doesn't bother me.'

Decorating for the seasons 

Autumn, or Americans call it, Fall, is just another season to those of us in the UK - and a dreary one at that.

But to those who live in America, the leaves falling is an excuse to celebrate and dress up your house with glorious orange and red decor - something Millie is now a big fan of.

She said: 'I do things like decorate for fall - yeah, I have pumpkins. I have actual pumpkins in my house at fall time and a mat saying 'Hello Fall'. I've never done that in my life.'

The mother continued: 'And I say things like "God damn did you just see that raccoon run over the road?" and "We're gonna hit that deer if you don't slow down" and "God damn raccoons been in the trash can again."'

Relying on heating pads 

Millie's fourth, and perhaps most niche, point is that heating pads are popular in the US and she now relies on them, despite never using them in the UK. 

She told her followers: 'I didn't realise how important heating pads were. I feel like everyone in the USA owns a heating pad.

'And now, one minor crick in my back - heating pad. 

'My American friends phone me with a bad back, or a bad stomach, or a bad knee, or a bad head - heating pad.'

As the TikToker has a mixed following from around the world, both British and American social media users took to the comments to talk about the cultural differences

Basketball hoops, green grass, and storm doors are all important 

Digging into other quirks that she's noticed about herself since moving across the pond, she revealed that Americans have a lot of garden pride and basketball hoops are an important feature. 

The 31-year-old joked: 'I'm a proud owner of a basketball hoop and it's got bricks on so the wind doesn't blow it away. 

'Having green grass is more important than anything. I will not be beaten - my grass will be the greenest and if I see a weed in that grass, oh no. No dandelions over here.'

She added: 'I now say things like "Shut that storm door, it's going to rain in a minute" and "Who left the storm door open because the wind's coming and it's blowing. Gonna break in the end that storm door is"'.

A storm door is a type of door that is installed in front of an exterior access door to protect it from bad weather and allow ventilation - they are commonplace in America but we don't have them in the UK.

Swapping tea for coffee 

Millie's final way her life has changed is potentially the most offensive to Brits - it's that she's swapped tea for coffee.

In the UK, there aren't many problems that can't be solved with a hot brew, but in the US most households don't even own electric kettles. 

She sheepishly admitted: 'I don't offer people a cup of tea anymore, I offer coffee and I also drink it myself. I have a coffee machine'.

As the TikToker has a mixed following from around the world, both British and American social media users took to the comments to talk about the cultural differences. 

Talking about the 40-minute drive Millie embarks on every day, one shocked Briton penned: 'A 40-minute drive here would take me to Manchester'.

Meanwhile, an American exclaimed: 'I just got a kettle for the first time and I don't understand how we live without it as Americans. It's so convenient'.

Another questioned: 'The lack of AC [aircon] elsewhere baffles me. It’s so lovely. Why suffer?'

'Took me three business days to figure out what aircon is,' joked one British viewer, with another arguing: 'But we’d only need aircon for two weeks of the year'.

However, others revealed they have already made the change, with one penning: 'Putting air con in our UK home is literally the best home improvement we’ve done'.

Another chimed in with: 'I’m with you on the aircon! We got it installed last summer (live in the UK) - absolute game changer!'

'Heating pad is the truth. That's Midwest living right there,' quipped one US native, with another asking: 'Do y'all [sic] not have heating pads in England?'

Mille explained: 'We do but I’ve never owned one'.

Other Americans joked: 'What have we done to her?' and 'She said fall not autumn. You're American now'.

'The fall decorations thing is the best isn’t it,' gushed someone else.

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